dc.title: Performing authenticity on Instagram reels: mother influencers and the co-construction of authenticity in audience responses dc.description.abstract: This study examines how mother influencers perform authenticity on Instagram Reels and how audiences respond in comment sections. Using quantitative content analysis of 500 Reels and 4,612 comments, authenticity is conceptualized as observable strategies and a construct co-produced through audience engagement. Findings show that authenticity is primarily constructed through visible, everyday moments rather than sustained emotional disclosure. Spontaneous child behavior and real-time documentation serve as key signals of “lived reality.” Audience responses are largely positive, with emotional alignment and relational identification as dominant forms. These interactions not only respond to authenticity but also reinforce it, making parasocial dynamics publicly observable. Regression analyses further show that authenticity strategies differentially predict audience responses. Emotional disclosure is associated with affective and relational engagement, while humor-based strategies primarily elicit laughter and reduce generic positive reactions, indicating more differentiated engagement.